Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 11, 2014 at 05:10 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update October 1, 2014)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update November 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update November 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update November 1, 2014)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update November 1, 2014)]

[Noon SDO sunspot count 1K Reference: 4K (large file) (updated daily)]

[POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated October 11, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was unsettled to active on November 10 due to weak to moderate effects from a CME which was observed arriving at SOHO near 01:35 UTC. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 420 and 560 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 136.1 (increasing 15.7 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 142.3. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 18 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 18.1). Three hour interval K indices: 43343433 (planetary), 33242422 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B9 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 11 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 232) and 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 154) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12205 [N13W09] decayed slowly displaying less activity than on previous days. There is still a significant magnetic delta centrally and another major flare is possible.
Region 12206 [S17W29] was quiet and stable.
Region 12207 [S09E41] was quiet and stable.
Region 12208 [S11E58] was mostly quiet and didn't display any major changes.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3963 [S24W05] was quiet and stable.
S3964 [S15W16] decayed slowly and quietly.
S3971 [S11E29] was quiet and stable.
S3973 [N19E21] was quiet and stable.
S3977 [S15E14] was quiet and stable.
New region S3981 [N06E74] rotated into view.
New region S3982 [N07E01] emerged early in the day with a penumbra spot.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
C7.6 02:22 NW limb S3975  
C2.1 10:21 S14E70 12208  
C5.0 12:37 N13W02 12205  
C3.6/1F 23:33 N15W05 12205  
C5.4 00:01 (Nov.11)   12205  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 8-10: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO imagery.

Coronal holes

[Coronal hole history (since October 2002)]
[Compare today's report to the situation one solar rotation ago: 28 days ago 27 days ago 26 days ago]

No obvious coronal holes are currently in or near Earth facing positions.

Propagation

Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over upper middle latitudes is poor. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor to fair.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on November 11-13.

Coronal holes (1) Coronal mass ejection (2) M and X class flares (3)
     

1) Effects from a coronal hole could reach Earth within the next 5 days. When the high speed stream has arrived the color changes to green.
2) Effects from a CME are likely to be observed at Earth within 96 hours.
3) There is a possibility of either M or X class flares within the next 48 hours.

Green: 0-30% probability, Yellow: 30-70% probability, Red: 70-100% probability.

Active solar regions

(Click on image for 2K resolution) Compare to the previous day's image. 0.5K image

When available the active region map has a coronal hole polarity overlay where red (pink) is negative and blue is positive.

Data for all numbered solar regions according to the Solar Region Summary provided by NOAA/SWPC. Comments are my own, as is the STAR spot count (spots observed at or inside a few hours before midnight) and data for regions not numbered by SWPC or where SWPC has observed no spots. SWPC active region numbers in the table below and in the active region map above are the historic SWPC/USAF numbers.

Active region Date numbered
detected
Spot count Location at midnight Area Classification SDO / HMI 4K continuum
image with magnetic polarity overlay
Comment
SWPC Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
12204 2014.10.31
2014.11.01
      N06W74           plage
12205 2014.11.03 23 59 28 N14W08 0280 DKC DAC beta-gamma-delta

location: N13W09

S3960 2014.11.03       S07W32           plage
S3961 2014.11.03       S07W46           plage
12206 2014.11.04   4 3 S15W31 0010   BXO location: S17W29
S3963 2014.11.04   3 1 S24W05 0010   AXX  
S3964 2014.11.04   4 1 S15W16 0013   BXO  
S3965 2014.11.04       N11W42           plage
S3970 2014.11.07       S05E15           plage
S3971 2014.11.07   4 1 S11E29 0007   BXO  
12207 2014.11.07
2014.11.08
1 4 1 S09E41 0040 HSX HAX area: 0070

 

S3973 2014.11.07   8 4 N19E21 0015   BXO  
S3974 2014.11.07       N18W37           plage
12208 2014.11.08
2014.11.09
9 31 13 S11E58 0090 CAI CAI area: 0180
S3977 2014.11.08   3   S15E14 0005   AXX  
S3978 2014.11.08       N19E22           plage
S3979 2014.11.08       N15W53           plage
S3980 2014.11.09       N09E25         plage
S3981 2014.11.10   1 1 N06E74 0025   HRX    
S3982 2014.11.10   1 1 N07E01 0003   AXX    
Total spot count: 33 122 54  
Sunspot number: 63 232 154  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 53 140 72  (Sum of total spot count + classification weighting for each AR. Classification weighting: X=0, R=3, A/S=5, H/K=10)
Relative sunspot number (Wolf number): 38 81 85 k * (sunspot number). k = 0.6 for SWPC, k = 0.35 for MSN 2K, k = 0.55 for MSN 1K (MSN=Magnetic Sunspot Number)

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar flux International sunspot number
(WDC-SILSO)
Smoothed sunspot number Average ap
(3)
Measured 1 AU
2013.07 115.5 119.3 57.0 65.5 (+2.9) 9.47
2013.08 114.6 118.3 66.0 69.0 (+3.5) 8.27
2013.09 102.6 103.7 36.9 73.1 (+4.1) 5.23
2013.10  132.1 131.2 85.6 75.0 (+1.9) 7.71
2013.11  148.3 145.1 77.6 75.4 (+0.4) 5.68
2013.12 147.7 143.1 90.3 76.0 (+0.6) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 81.8 77.3 (+1.3) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.3 (cycle peak) 78.4 (+1.1) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 91.9 80.8 (+2.4) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 81.9 (+1.1)
(likely solar max)
7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (80.3 projected, -1.6) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 (78.7 projected, -1.6) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 (77.1 projected, -1.6) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 74.7 (74.7 projected, -3.0) 7.71
2014.09 146.6 148.1 87.6 (71.5 projected, -3.2) 9.78
2014.10 153.4 152.9 60.6 (69.0 projected, -2.5) 8.96
2014.11 130.1 (1)   30.5 (2A) / 91.4 (2B) / 84.0 (2C) (67.3 projected, -1.7) (8.9)

1) Running average based on the daily 20:00 UTC observed solar flux value at 2800 MHz.
2A) Current impact on the monthly sunspot number based on the Boulder (NOAA/SWPC) sunspot number (accumulated daily sunspots / month days). The official WDC-SILSO international sunspot number is typically 30-50% lower. 2B) Boulder SN current month average to date. 2C) STAR SDO 1K Wolf number 30 day average.
3) Running average based on the quicklook and definitive Potsdam WDC ap indices. Values in red are based on the definitive international GFZ Potsdam WDC ap indices.

This report has been prepared by Jan Alvestad. It is based on the analysis of data from whatever sources are available at the time the report is prepared. All time references are to the UTC day. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

SDO images are courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.